What to Expect From Your First Muay Thai Class

Written by Atlas Team 

December 29th, 2023

Let’s set the stage. You’ve been scrolling the Internet or talking to your super cool friend or noticing a nicely designed poster around town about a local muay thai class martial arts school advertising the elusive Art of Eight Limbs, Muay Thai. Obviously, you’re intrigued, so you’re taking the next steps to try it out! So, what should you expect from your first class?

What Should I Do Before Coming To The Gym?

Before my first Muay Thai class, I tore Google apart in search of tips and tricks to prepare myself. Now, as a Muay Thai champion, I realize that a lot of the information I did find – like fundamental techniques and high-level fights – did not significantly change my experience in the beginning.

Instead of wasting time trying to learn all of Muay Thai before your first class, I recommend coming to the gym with a positive attitude, ready to learn something new and have some fun! A good Muay Thai gym will ensure that you have the basics down so you can enjoy the class.

What Will I Need During Class?

Wait! Before you leave to head over to the gym, make sure to grab a few essential items to enhance your Muay Thai experience.

The first, and most important: wear some solid athletic clothes. You will be kicking and will definitely want to be wearing appropriate shorts with room to move your legs. For your first few classes, workout leggings are an acceptable alternative if you are uncomfortable wearing shorts (but I highly recommend shorts!). I would avoid wearing sweatpants or something that could get in the way of shin pads doing their job. I know they’re comfortable, but wearing them really will make it more difficult to kick! Muay Thai, like any sport, consists of a lot of moving around – a loose t-shirt with a sweat-wicking material is the move here. If it applies to you, get a high-support sports bra, too (Nike is my personal favorite!). The bottom line: do not be the person to show up in your pajamas.

Make sure you grab your water bottle – Muay Thai is definitely going to make you sweat, and staying hydrated is so important so you can enjoy the class and learn some cool new stuff with full energy.

If you have some from before, go ahead and bring a pair of boxing gloves. If you don’t have gloves, don’t worry. A good Muay Thai gym will have loaner gloves and shin pads that you can borrow during your first class.

What Do I Do When I Get There?

The first thing you should do when you step into a new gym is introduce yourself to the coach. Get there early (at least 10 to 15 minutes before class time) and let them know that you are new to Muay Thai. They will introduce you to the facility and the fundamentals.

Your coach will show you how to execute basic strikes in a good Muay Thai stance. Focus on what the coach is telling you – the first class and first few weeks of training Muay Thai will be the most difficult as you build the foundation for your Muay Thai knowledge. It’s important that these basics are correct to avoid injury and optimize learning down the road.

What Will The Class Itself Be Like?

Class structure will vary by day and coach. However, a good beginner Muay Thai program will have some form of the following aspects.

Warm-up. The class will always begin with a fun warm-up. Jumping rope is by far the most popular, but the coach might choose to switch it up with running or dynamic stretching or something similar.

Conditioning. Most coaches will incorporate some cardio conditioning into the class. Some might do it right after warming up while others might weave it into drills and technique. I know, it might be a little scary! Don’t stress – if you suck at push-ups (like me), there are always alternatives and modifications available. A good coach will be more than willing to give you a modified version if something is inhibiting you. You don’t have to be The Rock’s clone to participate in the class – Muay Thai should be fun to learn for everyone!

Technique/Drills/Pads. Here’s the actual Muay Thai part. Expect to punch and kick – either in drills by exchanging strikes with a partner or in hitting Thai pads (a hard “pillow” to cushion your strike). In a beginner Muay Thai class, padwork and drills will involve very basic combinations, likely very similar to the ones you learned from the coach when you came early! If you are not partnered with someone by the coach, I recommend finding someone your same height/size to hit pads or do drills with. This will lessen the awkwardness of learning to punch and kick. A good coach will not let you spar until you have the fundamentals down, and this will probably not happen in your first class. While beginner classes occasionally do end with some light sparring (no strikes to the head and very light contact), your coach will give you something else to work on – you might practice your punches on a heavy bag, for example.

A “Burn Out”. A Muay Thai class will almost always end with – you guessed it – more conditioning! While it will not be as intense as earlier, your coach might employ some sit-ups or push-ups to end the class with a bang.

And just like that, you made it through your first Muay Thai class! It wasn’t so scary, was it? 

Tips

In addition to all the information I just gave you about the class itself and what to expect, I do have some tips to make sure you get all the benefits Muay Thai has to offer.

As I previously mentioned, Muay Thai is both physically and mentally taxing. It takes a lot of energy to learn a new skill without any (or very little) prior knowledge. When I started Muay Thai, I literally knew nothing about the sport or how to throw a single punch. Now, three years later, I have competed seven times at the amateur level. In my experience, staying focused and being open to criticism are the most helpful traits to practice if you want to learn the basics the right way and move on to more fun things.

I strongly recommend eating something before coming to class. If you’re super hungry while trying to learn Muay Thai, you are thinking about food instead of punching and denying your body the energy to exercise at the same time! I usually like to eat a protein-heavy meal around three hours before practice and maybe a small snack like nuts or fruit closer to when I leave. Don’t overeat, though! Allow your body ample time to digest the food you’re consuming before training or risk feeling queasy during your workout. I guarantee the extra energy from food will help you focus during class.

I also recommend asking all the questions – even the stupid ones. Any confusion about techniques will be solved when your coach responds to your question, helping you learn more efficiently. Even more, studies show that people who ask questions are more likely to enjoy the things they’re learning and learn them quicker!

Last but certainly not least, try to let yourself relax and enjoy the class. You’re putting yourself out there and trying something new – that’s more than half of the battle. While you’re physically there, try not to overthink the movements. Instead, try to let your body flow with new techniques. Some things will feel awkward, and that’s okay! But it will only get worse if you don’t relax your muscles. Even at this point in my Muay Thai experience, I still “reset” my body during drills or padwork when I’m thinking too much or not relaxed. It’s as simple as smiling really big for a few seconds or physically shaking your arms out in between reps.

At the end of the day, you will get from your first Muay Thai class exactly what you put in. By taking the time to read this article, I already know that you care and are excited to try it out, and that will correlate with a positive experience.

If you want the security of a consistent Muay Thai program and are in the Washington DC area, come check us out at Atlas Muay Thai Gym in Alexandria, Virginia. I promise there will be expert coaches to ensure a positive experience (you can even tell them Mayah sent you).

If you still have some questions, send me or the gym an email and we can help you out!